With The Recent BF Phone Deals, Is It Worth Upgrading to One of The Newer Deals or Wait until Crazy Flagship Deal?

Hello. I hope everyone is having a nice Sunday (at time of posting).

A little information you need to know:
1. I am 16 years old
2. I don't have a job (Wasn't allowed one)
3. All decisions go by my parents
4. I'll be going overseas in December all the way to end of Jan so I'm urged to buy something to get before then to use TRS
5. I'm trying to find something that is nice yet affordable (well inexpensive seems more right to me)

I currently have an S20+ that will be turning 5yrs old in Jan. There are cheaper models available such as the Motorolo Edge 50 Neo and Nothing Phone 2a which are fine but are worse than my phone. There's also waiting next year until Jan when the S25 comes out but based on current trends, it definitely seems like I'll be gone so I might have to ask if it can be delivered to a family friend to keep it until we come back. However it might be patched up so there is a risk factor there.

I can try one of those Jbhifi Telstra plans etc ($x/24m) and then cancel. However since it isn't my money, there's a good chance they won't agree as it's slowly being patched up too as well as there being a risk to credit score or whatever. Well my father might agree because he's also a user of this beautiful site.

I'm mostly looking for a phone that can last me long with good battery life, fairly decent specs, nice cameras, long OS support and preferably a smaller device. 256gb minimum cuz 128 isn't doing me justice at all. It doesn't have to be anything extremely new but I find that's when the best deals do come.

If anyone has any other suggestions or thoughts, please let me know. I'd love to hear your opinions :D

Poll Options Wed, 01/01/2025 - 00:00

  • 6
    Buy cheaper model (Edge 50 Neo or NP 2a etc etc)
  • 9
    Wait for S25 release
  • 0
    Do one of those cancelling 24m plans
  • 1
    Wait for another phone release discount plan (Was supposed to add this onto poll answer 2)
This is part of Black Friday / Cyber Monday deals for 2024

Comments

  • +1
    1. I'll be going overseas in December all the way to end of Jan so I'm urged to buy something to get before then to use TRS

    If you are bringing the phone back to Australia, check if you can actually claim TRS to save you money?

    I can try one of those Jbhifi Telstra plans etc ($x/24m) and then cancel. However since it isn't my money, there's a good chance they won't agree as it's slowly being patched up too as well as there being a risk to credit score or whatever.

    You have no income, so unlikely you can sign on to the monthly phone plan under your name. I have no idea what you trying to say the rest of sentence

    1. I'm trying to find something that is nice yet affordable (well inexpensive seems more right to me)

    What do you actually need? How do we vote when you already said you don’t like newer but “worse” phone?

      1. I'll make sure to check . I was just regurgitating what my parents told me about TRS
      2. I can't sign up under my name however my parents can sign under theirs but there's a chance of decreased credit score or possibly being patched up
      3. I just added voting for the lurkers and to get a general consensus on people's thoughts.

      How did you did you manage to respond to certain parts of my text like that? I'm sorry for asking but I have been wondering.

      • When you reply, check the “Formatting Help” dropdown below your reply area. It will give you the Markdown explanation.

        I still don’t follow what is being patched if sign under your parents name. I think is quite normal parents sign a phone plan for their under 18 kids?

        With getting ideas on what to do, what are your budget (spending your money or not)? Is the latest Samsung A5x going to make do? Your S20+ was the premium flagship phone at the time, any newer but cheaper phone will have worse spec/screen

        Apart from getting a phone that doesn’t rely on 3G for voice (because it won’t work in Australia nowadays) you also want to check the phone support the frequency bands in the country you’re travelling. Australian bands for example

    • 'you have no income so unlikely you can sign on' ?

      can i do the cancelling plan method, as a minor with a casual job? (100-200/w)

  • +3

    Pixel 8a for $650 matches most of your requirements.

    • Weirdly enough I don't think I saw that deal even though I have Ozbargain notify me of phone deals. The p8a isn't a bad deal at all however the 17w charging speed is a bit iffy.

      • Dont most people charge their phones at night time so recharge shouldnt be too much of an issue

        • +1

          You aren't half wrong there but it's the small moments where u need faster charging and those can really add up. Otherwise the P8A is a great option and I'll bear that in mind

  • If you're not paying just get the s25 ultra next year. Lots of good preorder bonuses.

    Will last a year longer and have a few upgrades so you don't have to worry about upgrading for 4+ years after.

    • I'm personally not into the huge form factor of the S25u. I've seen the difference in discounted prices between the base model and ultra from $400 to $600 which is honestly a lot. I also don't need something over the top ridiculous especially when it isn't even my money.

  • +1

    anything wrong with the s20+?
    if not, I'd say wait for those ~$800 final cost deals from jb or Samsung for the s25+

    • Well it's starting to slow down and battery isn't lasting as long. I find myself having to re-open apps for it to load. It's also got 2 green lines on it too. Otherwise it's still works well and is functioning

      • I'd wait for a deal from jb for the s24 then.
        should come around again before year end but who knows

  • There are cheaper models available such as the Motorolo Edge 50 Neo and Nothing Phone 2a which are fine but are worse than my phone.

    Battery life and software support will be leagues ahead of your S20. Camera will be comparable and performance may even be better on the newer phones.

  • Wait for the S25. S20 should be supported or close enough to the end of support by the time it is released.

    The S25 should have a decent number of years of support (5 or possibly more, IIRC) and get you through party of your tertiary education.

  • Just buy a galaxy A model. It does everything you need from a smart phone

  • I'm just impressed you are in uni at 16.

    • I'm still in highschool lmao! I'd be very shocked if I made it to uni at 16

      • Weird, I thought you wanted a laptop for uni.

        • Rightttt I forgot I even made a post like that. I'm surprised you even tried to lurk to find that. It was honestly easier for me to lie then to make it a little easier for myself to make a post

          • @NotReallyaMoneySaver: That's not what lurking is.

            I was curious as to what sort of posts a 16 year old would make on here.

            • @brendanm: You're right. I got lurking wrong

              I mostly just keep my account to my interests and stuff. I'm a passionate user of this site and bargain hunting is a guilty pleasure of mine tho not everybody sees it that way

    • iPhone Pro or Pro Max
    • Galaxy S / S+ / S Ultra
    • Pixel Pro / Pro XL

    The latest if you can afford it, if not go back a model until you can. I would pick a Pro Max / Ultra / Pro XL over the smaller sized ones (your preference) because of superior battery life (also your preference) so depends which you want prioritize.

    I would not recommend a Galaxy A model or Pixel #a model that other users suggested unless budget is tight.

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